One of the most feared players of his generation on the field appears suddenly to have become a pussycat off it.

Why else would the Manchester City manager accept the inexcusable and acrimonious defection of his best player to Chelsea with such equanimity?

Shaun Wright-Phillips spent last week, according to Pearce, assuring everyone how much he loved the Blues and had no intention of leaving them.

Then, overnight, he made some spurious excuse for missing the club's friendly and managed to overcome his malady long enough to put in a transfer request.

Chelsea's offer and the money involved were not news to him, but the fans' favourite left it until a couple of days before City flew out for their Far East tour to decide to accept Roman's roubles and issue the modern footballer's plaintive cry "I want to win things".

A blast from his once-explosive boss would have been justified. A reprimand was certainly in order. Modest criticism was the least one would expect. But no. The frightening full-back who terrorised more wingers than a hungry hawk only just fell short of giving Wright-Phillips a good-luck horseshoe and a posy.

This new, placid persona was evident last season in the handful of games Pearce was in charge at Eastlands. Diabolical decisions by referees that went against the Blues that would have drawn a fusillade of abuse in his playing days, were uncharacteristicaly accepted with good grace.

A measure of calm and reason is welcome in the volatile world of the Premiership but an impersonation of goody-two-shoes is unlikely to endear a new manager to passionate fans who want to see the man in control of their heroes display a little fire in his belly.

It is no coincidence that the top three clubs in England have managers who never pass up an opportunity to let fly at opposition bosses, referees, cheats, administrators and even the tea lady if she steps out of line.

The shock departure of Wright-Phillips is nothing but bad news for City.

It means they have lost their most inspirational and most revered player.

It indicates that they have no desire to hang on to home-grown talent that could lift them back among the league's elite.

It proves that money and money alone is the governing factor in their immediate future. It suggests that free transfers and yesterday's stars are going to be the staple diet at the City of Manchester Stadium for the foreseeable future; and it saddens the hearts of nearly 48,000 fans who have tolerated mediocrity for far too long and deserve much better.

OK, it reduces substantially the club's sizeable debt. But the collateral of a near-full house every home game keeps the bailiffs at bay and the best way they can get themselves out of hock is to achieve a place in European football.

They are not going to do that by selling brilliant, albeit fickle, young players like Shaun Wright-Phillips.